The Ripple Effect
by rogue-scholar07
Summary: AU. After getting kicked out of Alfea, Princess Stella was on her way to start her first year at Cloud Tower when she met two very interesting girls on Planet Earth...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Yes, this story is AU. No, it is not in my normal AU universe. It stands alone quite well. The rating is due to language, and may very well increase as the other chapters get written out. If you don't want to see Stella, Bloom, or Roxy as witches, this is definitely not the story for you. If you do want to see them, keep reading. **

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story. It is written purely for my own amusement and no profit is gained from it. **

**Summary:Alternate universe. After getting kicked out of Alfea, Stella was on her way to start her first year at Cloud Tower when she met two interesting girls on planet Earth.**

**The Ripple Effect**

**Chapter 1: When Worlds Collide**

Stella was not a happy princess.

It all started last year, when Daddy decided to let his long-time girlfriend (gold-digging tramp, more like, but Daddy adored the trollop…) and her brat daughter move into the palace. To console herself, Stella decided to put what she learned in her freshman-year potionology class to good use and mix up something to make her feel better. Unfortunately, this attempt (made after hours in an empty lab) resulted in the complete and utter destruction of the entire Potions Lab and her expulsion. No amount of money from the Solarian treasury could buy her back into Alfea, where Daddy wanted her to be. And she point-blank refused to lower her standards by going to Beta Academy, especially not Brat-Child happened to be accepted to the same school. It was bad enough she had to share her palace with the little upstart!

Mom, Dragon love her, decided to help Stella get into her _alma mater_, Cloud Tower. Though definitely not her first choice, Stella knew it was the only other magical academy with the prestige she was looking for. Tomorrow should be her first day of class, and she should have been at early check-in for dorm space now.

But the ogre and the creepy little demon thingies attacked, forcing her to take a slight detour. Instead of the police-protected realm of Magix, she was stuck on some backwater planet called Earth which hadn't had any sign of magic in _eons_. Sure, she had the staff of Solaria, but there was no way she could take all of these uglies by herself.

So, yes, Stella was having a rather bad year. However, her year was about to become much more bearable.

* * *

Bloom Peters had never been accused of being a logical person. She daydreamed about fairies and magic during her high school classes, rushed headlong into fights, and tended to become more destructive than not when angry. So, all things considered, running toward a magic fight instead of away from it wasn't all that out of character for the redhead.

Roxy Klaus, on the other hand, was a bit more level-headed. She dreamed of one day becoming a veterinarian. Or a pet shop owner. Anything that put her working with animals instead of serving people at the Fruitti Music Bar, she would be pleased with. Her father sometimes teased her about getting on better with animals than people, which wasn't too far from the truth. People, and especially high school girls, tended to be mean and cruel. They made fun of her hair and eye color. They teased her for not having a mother in the picture. Everyone seemed to find something to hold over her head.

Everyone, that is, except for Bloom. The two met in the first grade and had been inseparable ever since. One girl was rarely seen without the other. This was the case today, when Bloom decided to test out her new bicycle (complete with a basket for her rabbit Kiko to ride in) by taking it through some wooded trails in the park with Roxy (and, by proxy, her dog Artu) along for the ride.

They heard the fight before they saw it, but it was pretty hard not to notice the flashes of light in the dim woods. A model-esque blond teen in an odd orange dress (very skimpy, but much more expensive than either girl could afford) valiantly fought off one large thing and several smaller, nastier things. Logic would dictate that the two turn the other way and run.

As mentioned earlier, logic was not one of Bloom's stronger traits.

Desperate to help the blond (who, awesomely, could shoot lasers from her hands), Bloom ran up behind the big thing and swung a large stick at it, catching the beast off-guard.

As the creature turned to face her, Bloom tried to kick it in the shins. Effective against a human, not so much against the tough leg bones and sinews of a full-grown ogre. It didn't take long for the creature to wrap its large hands around Bloom's seemingly small wrists and lift her off her feet.

Meanwhile, Roxy had been unwillingly dragged into the fight when many small creatures came after her, Kiko, and Artu. Her attempts to bat them away with sticks were proving ineffective when one of the monsters decided Bloom's beloved bunny would make a nice snack. "Get away from him!" Roxy screamed, feeling a tingly sensation spread down her arms and through her fingertips. The stick in her hands glowed a pale green as it made contact with the gremlin, knocking it away from the rabbit. "No Rabbit Stew for you!"

Bloom didn't notice Roxy or her glowing makeshift baseball bat. Instead, the redhead focused on getting free from the ogre's hold on her. Desperate for an edge to help in the fight, she reached down into herself in search of some kind of inner strength. In that place, she found fire and a whole lot of it. Fire that raced through her veins and pulsed out away from her body in a violent blast of heat.

The ogre was not pleased with his newly burned hands or the fact that two newcomers had turned the tables on him. "Retreat!" His booming voice (not sounding all that bright) called over the battle, and he and the creatures disappeared in a flash of light.

"That was totally awesome!" The strangely dressed blond girl said with an exuberance that seemed misplaced in reference to her drained facial expression. "You two totally have magic! Uh…" She swayed on her feet a moment, before promptly passing out.

"Oh my God!" Bloom shouted in panic. "Omigod! Hey! Hey, you! Can you hear me?"

"Uh, I think she's out cold." Roxy suggested as Bloom knelt beside the mysterious girl. "What do we do?"

"We can't just leave her here…" The redhead sighed, running a hand through her hair. "And I don't think a hospital would be smart either..."

"Why don't we take her back to your place? It's more cozy than mine, and you parents are working today so she can rest in peace and quiet." Roxy suggested. Bloom sighed.

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

"I usually am, now let's get her onto your bike and get her out of here."

* * *

Stella awoke with a groan, dim light from a table lamp illuminating the room.

Wait. Room? She was just outside in the woods!

"You're awake." A redheaded girl about her age came into focus. The same girl from the woods, Stella realized. One of the two magical girls. "You scared the crap out of us!"

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks to you and your friend." Stella said, slowly sitting up as another girl came into the room with a glass of water. This one had pink hair with the front strands tipped yellow. "You two totally saved my ass back there. And here I thought Earth didn't have any magic left! You two are both shoe-ins for scholarships to Cloud Tower!" Screw Alfea, she was going to take her new friends with her to witch school!

"Whoa. Hold on. Magic?" Bloom asked as the front door opened and a woman with brown hair and tanned skin entered. "We have magic?"

"Absolutely! What? You though heat pulses and glowing sticks were normal for you two?" Stella scoffed.

"You saw that?" Roxy blinked as she handed Stella the glass of water.

"I didn't need to see it; I could sense it." The blond said as the older woman stopped in her tracks.

"Bloom, Roxy, what's going on?" The woman asked. "Who is this girl?"

"Oh. We found her being attacked in the woods." Bloom explained. "After we scared the creeps off, we brought her back here."

"For the record, my name is Stella, princess of Solaria." Stella put in. "I'm guessing you're their mother?"

"Just mine." Bloom said. "Roxy and I aren't related. We're just really good friends."

"A princess. Really?" Bloom's mother placed her hands on her hips. "How come I've never heard of this 'Solaria'?"

"Because we're part of the magical dimension and your planet hasn't shown any sign of magic in decades." The princess shrugged the question off. "And now there's two witches! Or, you will be once you start your training at CT with me!"

"Witch?" Bloom asked. "How do we know how…"

"Bloom, sweetie, a witch does not need to know how to be a witch. She just does it. My mother told me that, and she's never been wrong. Which is why I should have left with her when she divorced my father." A brief flash of anger appeared in the girl's golden eyes. "But that's in the past. This is the present, and you two girls should totally come with me to Cloud Tower! If your folks get dodgy about the magic thing, just tell them it's a prestigious boarding school, which is totally true, by the way." Stella smiled at Roxy. "Best school for witchcraft in the whole magical universe!"

Bloom looked at her mother, silently begging her to consider letting her go. Gardenia had never been a good fit for her or Roxy. To go somewhere else, somewhere magic was real, might just be the change both of them needed.

"Prove it." The woman stated, earning odd glances from all three girls. "Prove that these two have magic, and I'll talk to their fathers."

"Easy peasy!" Stella grinned, looking at Bloom. "I don't suppose you have any pens or pencils lying around?"

"They're in that cup over there." The blue-eyed girl pointed to a plastic cup with half a dozen pens and pencils sticking out the top.

A wild smirk formed on Stella's lips. With a flick of her fingers, the pens and pencils levitated into the air, twisted, and merged into a single oversized writing utensil.

"Wow…" Roxy breathed.

"Now, I want you to try to separate them." Stella smiled serenely. "Who wants to go first?"

Roxy glanced dubiously at the still-floating pen and gulped. With a shaking hand, she reached out toward the pen, amethyst eyes squinted intently. A pale green glow surrounded it, but the pens didn't separate. "I…I can't do it."

"But you locked onto it, which is still cool and still proves you have magic." The blond pointed out. "Okay, Bloom. Your go."

Bloom made her best squinty face and glared at the pen, her hand reaching out in front of her. An orange-hot glow covered the pen….before it spontaneously turned to ashes.

"Well, I'd say you are definitely a Fire Witch." Stella observed, looking at Bloom's mother. "Believe me now?"

A sigh escaped Mrs. Peter's lips. "I'll talk to your dad, and to your father, Roxy, but I can't guarantee anything with him."

"You don't need to." Roxy said. "I'll just do like Stella suggested and tell him Bloom and I got accepted to a boarding school in another state. It'll be easier to explain than magic."

"We can invite him over for dinner tonight to make it sound more legit." Bloom smiled broadly. "Can't we, Mom?"

"Yes, we can." Her mom nodded wearily. "But we don't get to lie to your father like that. He deserves to know."

"Of course. Yeah." Bloom answered, wrapping her mother in a big hug. "Thanks, Mom! This is the greatest birthday gift ever!"

* * *

Dinner that night had been going as well as could be expected. Mr. Klaus was suspicious of the sudden "scholarship" to a far-away boarding school (and of Stella, but she was weaseling her way onto his good side), but Vanessa and Bloom were slowly winning him over to the idea. Mike Peters had been quiet, still reeling from the shock that his daughter was a witch. The girls were talking and laughing and getting to know each other.

And then everything froze. Vanessa froze in the middle of serving Stella some green beans. Mike stopped cold with a fork halfway to his mouth. Mr. Klaus was lifting a glass of water to his lips when he stopped moving. Stella swore.

"Shit, shit, fuck, this is so not good!" She grumbled as Bloom and Roxy stared quizzically at each other.

"What's going on?"

"Level one temporal freeze spell. Only affects non-magical beings. Which apparently does not include your familiars." Stella glanced briefly at Artu and Kiko, who had come into the dining room to investigate. "We probably have about thirty seconds before that stupid ogre comes crashing through here… Roxy, catch!" Stella tossed a device that looked like a mobile phone to the pink haired girl. "Third number on speed-dial. Inter-realm magical cops called Specialists. Let's hope they get here before we kick ogre ass, or they're likely to think we _summoned_ the stupid thing."

Just then, the front door was kicked in by a large creature that definitely was not the ogre the girls fought in the park. Stella swore again.

"Change in plans. Bloom, look in my bag. Get the chalk and candles. You two will bind it in a circle." Stella said, golden energy dancing at her fingertips. "Send a tracking troll after MY staff, will you?" Energy like sunlight poured from her fingers and struck at the large, ugly, blue creature as Bloom ran upstairs in search of Stella's bag and the items inside it.

With each second she spent searching for enough chalk and candles, Bloom felt her anxiety growing. Could she and Roxy cast a circle, whatever that meant? Could they stop the troll, or die trying? Before she turned to go back downstairs, she stopped and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths and trying to center herself like Vanessa always taught her to do. Warmth spread all over her body, along with newfound resolve.

The troll was going down in flames, she would make sure of it.

* * *

"For the last fucking time, that is a binding circle, not a summoning circle!"

Roxy closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose with her right hand as Bloom and Stella continued to swear and scream. Stella, it turned out, had been right about Specialists. They arrived on the scene after the three girls had the troll contained, and assumed Stella had talked them into summoning it. This, of course, set Bloom off and lead to one Specialist receiving second-degree burns on his arm whenever he tried to physically subdue her. Which was still better behavior than Stella displayed, having physically taken a swing at one of them.

This, of course, left Roxy the only on not in magical handcuffs yet. "I'm sorry for this misunderstanding." She told he young man in front of her. "We only just met Stella this afternoon, when we saved her from an ogre trying to get her staff. Whoever sent the ogre probably sent the troll and cast the distortion spell."

The Specialist, clad in the same ridiculous blue and white outfits they all seemed to wear, raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "That's your story?"

"It's the truth." Roxy folded her arms across her chest. "Listen, this is the first conscious spell Bloom or I have ever cast. I barely registered on you scanner thingy, and you think we have the juice to summon a troll? We barely bound the stupid thing before it destroyed her house!"

"Spencer! Let the girls go!" The captain of the Specialist unit called out to the rather pompous man who'd taken it upon himself to argue with Stella. The captain been on the phone with somebody checking the girls' identities. "They are who they say they are. The Solarian court is threatening to press charges against us if we keep their princess detained any longer."

"Finally!" Stella shouted as the handcuffs came off. "And just so you know, my lawyers will be suing you!" She glared at the man she'd tried to punch earlier.

"Can we just start packing now?" Roxy groaned. "We all start as students at Cloud Tower tomorrow morning, and would like to be packed and well-rested before then."

"Of course you can, miss." The captain smiled at her. "The troll's already been shipped out, so you girls should have nothing more to worry about." He either ignored or didn't hear Bloom's snort of disbelief. "Goodnight."

"Good fucking riddance." Stella grumbled as the costumed men gathered onto their spaceship and took off. "Dragon, I hope we don't have to deal with those idiots anymore."

"I don't care if we do. I don't care if the freakin' Teletubbies show up on the front doorstep. I want to go finish packing and get some sleep!" Roxy grumbled.

"Oh, I can help with that." Stella said. "Seriously, with a little magic, we can have both your closets packed in like ten minutes, tops."

"Is the start of the magical school year always this crazy?" Bloom inquired of the taller blond.

"Nah. Usually stuff doesn't get destroyed like this until midterms. So, who wants to get all packed up first?"


	2. Chapter 2

**The Ripple Effect**

**2. Ask the Lonely**

The first day in the realm of Magix turned out to be an exercise in the surreal and paranormal. After going through the standard orientation lecture, meeting with the headmistress, and being assigned a room (conveniently with Stella), Bloom and Roxy were taken on a walking tour of Magix proper by Stella. The pair of Earthlings soon discovered that while burgers and fried poultry (whatever it was certainly wasn't a chicken) translated across all corners of the magical dimension, pizza had yet to catch on here like it had on their home world. Explaining to Stella exactly what a pizza was without the culinary item to display proved to be a tricky task, and up until they found the one restaurant in all of Magix that served it, the blond princess was convinced it was some sort of sandwich. Now that she knew what it was and had sampled some of it, Stella was hooked and eager to try more 'crazy Earth food' (her words, not theirs).

Today, however, was the official start of classes, and not all of the girls had the same schedule. This landed Bloom in Defensive Battle Strategies 101 all by her lonesome during second period. Unlike her first class (Magical History part 1), Defensive Strategies actually involved physical exercise. Students were paired off and asked to attack or defend using the basic spells that the professor demonstrated. While Bloom managed to conquer the 'attack' portion of the lesson, 'defend' still managed to elude her. Fortunately for her, her partner (an average-looking brunette named Candice) was patient with her and even offered some pointers.

Other students were not so lucky. During the fourth (or possibly fifth; she'd lost interest in counting and focused more on throwing up a damn shield by this point) attempt to block the other girl's attack, Bloom noticed that one particular pair of witches weren't playing by Professor Grimm's rules of conduct. A small girl with short, blood red hair and freckles was throwing shields up as fast as she could, but none of them was strong enough to repress the onslaught of energy blasts from her assigned partner. At first, she ignored it, but when two rounds later the small girl's shield fell completely and the other girl continued to attack, she decided to intervene.

"Aww. Is the poor little pixie-lover too tired to fight back?" The attacking witch taunted, not having noticed Bloom's approach. This witch had long-ish lavender hair and cold gray eyes. "You're not worthy to call yourself a witch!"

"That goes double for you, bitch!" Bloom roared, launching a fireball at the lavender-haired bully. The poor little redhead had been forced onto the ground once her shield gave out earlier, and she watched with wide turquoise eyes as Bloom came to her rescue. "Why don't you pick on someone who's more your size?"

"An Earthling? Please! You're more pathetic than little miss Mirta!" The gray-eyed girl scoffed, having narrowly dodged Bloom's attack.

"Pathetic, huh?" Candice was nowhere in Bloom's line of sight anymore. She'd probably gone to get the teacher, not that it mattered. This git was going to need a plastic surgeon once she was finished.

Warm energy, licking wildly at her skin like ocean waves, pulsed from her body in an angry aura. She would not stand by and watch a classmate be bullied like this. "Let's see who's the pathetic one." Two large balls of energy formed in her hands, and both were soon thrown at the taller witch standing in front of her. The other witch had a shield up, but it failed to hold up once Bloom decided to keep pitching fireballs at it.

Out of defenses, the other girl let out an ear-splitting shriek and went on the offensive. Balls of gray energy hurtled toward Bloom, but this time (likely out of anger and stubborn force of will) the fire witch managed to get a shield up to deflect the attacks. A protective bubble of burning orange energy surrounded Bloom and Mirta.

"ENOUGH!" Professor Grimm's deep voice boomed. "STAND DOWN, THE BOTH OF YOU!"

Bloom held her aggressor's eye contact, not willing to drop her shield until the other girl stopped attacking completely. Reluctantly, the bully powered down and turned to glare at their instructor. With a sizzling hiss, Bloom's shield fizzled and dissipated. She was too hyped up on adrenaline to be afraid of the teacher, but Mirta stared at him with wide, scared eyes.

"That's better!" Their teacher barked. "Now would one of you please explain what happened here?"

"I was _trying_ to get this loser Mirta to throw up a decent shield when the Earth freak started attacking me!" the gray-eyed girl protested, trying to bend the truth.

"The hell you were!" Bloom glared at the girl defiantly, ready to throw an honest-to-god punch if she needed to. "You knocked her to the ground without a shield and were _still_ launching energy blasts at her!"

Professor Grimm glared at both of them, apparently weighing their stories against each other. "Atara, I'm disappointed in you." He stated, glaring at the purple-headed girl. "Someone of your status should know better than to pull these kinds of stunts in class."

"Hey, shouldn't she be getting the lecture here?" Atara pointed an accusatory finger at Bloom. "She attacked me!"

"Only so you'd leave Mirta alone!" Bloom protested, the ambient temperature around the group heating up a few degrees. "What did she ever do to you?"

"She's an embarrassment, just like you are!" Atara hissed.

"That's **quite** enough from you ladies!" Grimm growled. "Candace, take over with Mirta for the remainder of the period. You two, to the headmistress's office!"

Was saving Mirta really worth a trip to the principal's office and making an enemy on her first day of school? One look into Mirta's scared but grateful eyes informed Bloom that yes, it was indeed worth it.

* * *

"I must say, I never expected you to be the first one in detention." Stella remarked. The three suitemates were currently eating lunch in the cafeteria.

"I did." Roxy held her fork up. "Although, I think this is a new record. Usually she waits until _after_ the lunch bell rings to get into brawls."

"Har har." Bloom grumbled, looking grumpily up at her best friend. "I just hope that Mirta girl is okay."

"Why was the other girl picking on her anyway?" Roxy frowned. "I mean, I _know_ why you and I get snide remarks, being from Earth and all, but what did Mirta do?"

"Atara called her a pixie-lover, whatever that means." Bloom scoffed. Stella groaned.

"Bloom, I hate to break it to you, but Atara's the status quo around here." The blond looked at the other two. She knew the other girl from the various cabinet meetings her parents hosted with nobles from other realms. Lady Atara of Isis belonged to a very old and influential family on her home world. The girl was a stuck-up narcissistic brat, but that seemed to be the norm for nobles from Isis. "Witches and fairies tend not to get along well. Witches who are open to being friends with fairies get picked on."

"What about you, the witch who went to fairy school?" Bloom taunted.

"No one has been stupid enough to pick a fight. Yet." Stella absently nibbled on her salad. "Eventually one of the sophomores is going to recognize me, but I'm a Royal and Royals don't take crap from cranky peasants."

"So, you're going to adopt Bloom's favored strategy and beat the crap out of them." Roxy surmised. "Nice going, Stel."

"Hey, it's Mirta." Bloom suddenly looked across the cafeteria. Roxy and Stella followed her gaze, looking over the small redhead in question. She was seated across from a taller, lankier witch with wild green hair and facial features that Roxy thought vaguely reminiscent of the Native American tribes back on Earth. Not a classic beauty by any standards, but she could be attractive enough, with a little help in the hair and makeup department. The taller witch, seemingly at a loss to stop Mirta from sulking, ignored her companion's mood.

"One sister witch is hardly strong enough to keep away a full coven, no matter how strong a bond they share." Stella remarked, studying the pair. It seemed to her that Mirta and her seating companion had known each other a very long time and were possibly from the same realm. "They're painting a huge target on their backs, sitting alone like that." Not that it was any of her concern…

"They shouldn't have to sit alone." Roxy stated, boldly rising to her feet and walking toward the two lonely witches despite Stella's protests. Being the lonely kids at lunch was never fun, and neither was getting picked on. Nobody ever stood up for Bloom or herself back in Gardenia, but she would be damned if she stood by and did nothing while two girls like themselves went through the same hell.

Mirta never looked up, never even acknowledged that Roxy approached the table, but her friend did. The green-haired witch's posture instantly changed from 'guarded' to 'predator here'. Roxy held her hands up to show she meant no harm. "Hey, it's Mirta, right?" She asked, looking at the redhead as Artu moved closer to her.

"Who wants to know?" The other witch at the table asked in a low voice, obviously trying to protect her friend. Roxy tried to keep her voice calm and soothing.

"I'm Roxy from Earth…My friend Bloom kinda saved your friend from getting pummeled and humiliated during second period." She jerked her thumb back at the other redhead, who was likely staring at the amethyst-eyed teen as if she'd suddenly started breakdancing in the dining hall. "Oh, and this is my Familiar, Artu." Roxy was feeling proud of herself. She'd remembered two of Stella's instructions on making introductions to other witches.

Mirta stiffened ever-so-slightly as Artu laid his head in her lap and looked up at her with big brown eyes, asking to be petted. She smiled and obliged him, looking at Roxy for the first time. "I didn't expect anyone to help, and certainly not that violently."

"Bloom tends to get a little…agitated whenever she sees someone getting picked on." Roxy explained. "It happened to us a lot back at our old school. Of course, when she gets agitated, she starts fights. Now that she can start them by throwing fireballs at people, she's found a whole new world of ways to wind up in detention."

"Was that the only reason you came over here?" The other witch asked, still behaving as if Roxy were a threat.

"No, I came to ask you two to come sit at our table." Roxy stated. "And no, it's not out of pity. You two remind me of how I used to be, and I won't let anyone else go through that social hell if I can help it."

"What's it to you?"

"I don't see the need to explain myself any further to someone who won't even tell me her name."

"Lucy, now what is it to you if we suffer?"

"My own continued good karma, for one thing. Plus, it works to your advantage to sit with us today. With Bloom, Stella, and myself helping to watch your backs, there's less chance of you getting cornered after class and having the crap beaten out of you."

Mirta replied before Lucy got the chance. "I…I think I would like to meet your friends." The small redhead looked up at her. "Are you sure it's okay to sit with you guys?"

"Why wouldn't I be sure?" Stella would just have to deal with it for now, if she didn't like it. Just until the pair found a third witch to join their coven. Then they would be able to stand on their own. "Now come on! We don't have much of a lunch period left!"


	3. Chapter 3

**The Ripple Effect**

**3. The Princess's Guide to Wedding Crashing**

Stella wasn't entirely opposed to the idea of Mirta and Lucy moving to their table. On the contrary, she was proud of Roxy for having the guts to take a stand. However, it brought attention to them, and to herself in particular. So far, nobody had identified her, but now…

"Well, I'll be damned." Stella bit back a growl as the high, slightly nasal tones of Lady Atara of Isis met her ears. Apparently she'd followed Roxy, Mirta, and Lucy to the table and recognized the blond princess. "The one and only _Princess_ Stella mingling with a group of common **outcasts**. How the mighty have fallen."

"At least the common outcasts have good taste and manners." Stella held her head high, barely regarding the lavender-haired witch and her companion- a witch with hair of a darker purple shade pulled into a ponytail. "You're a lady of the court, Atara. Attacking a fellow student during class is _sure_ to cause a scandal. I thought you Isisians were opposed to soiling your hands?" Princess Diaspro certainly was, and Stella had a tendency to lump all Isisian nobility/royalty into the same category.

"It's worth it to rid this prestigious school of weaklings like her." The noblewoman snorted in an decidedly unladylike fashion. "Pixie lovers like her are an embarrassment, just like you! Last I heard, your transformation had wings."

"Yet I can transform, which is more than I can say for you. Last I heard you could barely levitate, let alone manage a full-on witch's transformation!" The blond princess stated, a small smirk on her coral-tinted lips. "So unless you've drastically improved your flight tactics over the summer, I don't want to hear another word from you or your accomplice." Golden eyes glared coldly at the younger woman. "This coven, no, circle is hereby formed and under the protection of the realms of Solaria and Lunaria. Any action taken against one of the members will result in punishment to the full extent of my imagination and Bloom's ability to set things on fire." And Bloom did seem to revel in her ability to burn things (and people), as Atara found out the hard way this morning.

Atara fumed, but didn't make any move to attack Stella or Mirta. Still, her aggressive body language was enough to cause Bloom's fiery aura to become visible—just in case a fight broke out. And unless the Solarian princess was mistaken, Lucy had summoned an orb of solid magic in her left hand, under the table and out of sight. Even if Atara's friend backed her up, it was a losing fight. "Come on, Shilly, we don't need to waste any more time on these losers!" The pair of purple-haired witches left in a huff as Stella smirked triumphantly. No doubt this exchange would reach the royal court on Isis, but she didn't care. Diaspro didn't attend school in Magix and certainly wasn't one to start fights (although finishing them and holding grudges afterward was another matter entirely). None of the other princesses of realms Solaria or Lunaria traded with attended this school, and the ones at Alfea were too ladylike to pick on her out in the open.

Who knew that Bloom's uncanny ability to jump into brawls and get detention would lead to such a fortunate turn of events?

* * *

All the while, a group of three Seniors watched carefully. "So, the fairy has decided to become a witch." A girl with long brown hair purred, her voice seductively low and rough. She had hazel eyes and a natural tan—an uncommon trait for witches.

"And she brought some powerful friends with her." A smaller, blue-eyed witch grumbled, arms folded petulantly across her chest. Her blue-violet hair was extremely curly and short, giving the appearance of a cloud, with long lavender streaks straightened enough to give the illusion of lightning bolts reaching from those clouds to the ground. "Did you feel the output that redhead was giving off?"

"She's certainly got more raw power than Stella." The final witch stated. Her platinum-white hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and piercing icy eyes glanced out at the group of freshman below. "And their circle has a numbers advantage over us. A fight would be ill-advised at this stage."

"Why?" The cloud-headed witch pouted. "We need power to raise the Army of Decay, and they have it!"

"Because, Stormy, we should not waste our energy fighting them when we could simply convince them to help our cause." The white haired witch replied. "It will take some time, but it's do-able. How do you propose we start this new plan, Darcy?" She asked the brunette standing by her.

"First we need to learn more about them." Darcy shrugged. "Their goals, sources, home realms, and families. We need to build a rapport with them if we want to use them in our plans. Perhaps we could persuade them to help us with our plan to wreck the inter-school dance?"

"What makes you sure that pixie is gonna help us?" Stormy grumbled.

"Never you mind." Darcy replied. "But we should start spying on them. Don't you think so, Icy?" She asked the taller woman, who grinned.

"Yes, sisters, I think we should."

* * *

Two weeks later, Mirta and Lucy had been moved into the suite with the other girls. Apparently the Headmistress preferred that covens stay in the same quarters. After much deliberation on the part of the people administering magical aptitude tests, it was determined that Roxy's source (which had puzzled the test-givers at first) was her bond with animals—a power usually associated with fairies. Mirta still wasn't sure what her source was, but her empathy and tendencies to project herself into other people's dreams earned her the title of "the Nightmare Witch".

It was also two weeks later that Bloom and Roxy finally learned the reason why Stella was so angry with her father. They both realized that she wasn't on good terms with him (she got this angry look in her amber eyes any time he came up in conversation), but neither knew just how much the relationship had deteriorated.

Now they would finally find out.

Stella growled angrily, crumpling up a letter (written on the official stationary of the Solarian court) in her right fist. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't fucking believe it! After all these years of denying to her and the courts that Brat-Child had anything to do with him, Daddy had finally been caught in a lie during the physical exam and preliminary blood work required for Brat-Child to get into Beta Academy. She was not only Cassandra's daughter, but his as well. And now, on top of that mess, he had the nerve to think she would want to travel all the way to Solaria for his fucking wedding to the bitch who broke up his marriage to her mother in the first place? Hell no!

"Do we even want to know?" Roxy sighed, breaking the silence but not the tension.

"He's marrying the bitch." The Solarian teen growled. "The gold-digging tramp he screwed over in order to break up his _last_ marriage. And he wants to make their bastard child the princess Solaria!"

"Whoa, whoa, back up here." Lucy held up a hand. "I thought_ you_ were first in line."

"I was until I told him to his face that I didn't want to be in the same castle as his whore and her brat-child." Stella snorted. "Or was it when I got expelled from Alfea? Not that it matters. He'll ship me off to be the heir to my mother's kingdom while my beautiful Solaria is ruled by the spoiled little wretch."

"So, wait, your mother lives in a different realm?" Bloom asked, genuinely curious. Nobody had gotten any personal information out of Stella before now. "I thought Lunaria was just another part of Solaria."

"By the Dragon, no! Queen Luna of Lunaria—a neighboring realm to Solaria—has her own palace just outside the capital city of Qamra." The blond witch explained. "She and my father…theirs was an arranged marriage, but in the very beginning I do believe they loved each other. I don't know why he suddenly decided their marriage wasn't worth honoring, nor do I care." Hot tears were starting to well in the girl's golden eyes. "I don't ever want to see him again."

"Now, aren't you being a little hasty?" Lucy asked, trying to get Stella to calm down (since the sudden switch from 'happy Stella' to 'angry Stella' left poor Mirta with a major headache). "I see a much more satisfying method of voicing your opinion."

"You want to crash a Royal wedding?" Roxy asked, raising a dubious red eyebrow. "Are you nuts?"

"Technically, it's only crashing if you're not invited." Lucy waved. "We're invited, so we'll just ruin the wedding. And the reception."

"Maybe we should invite the Trix to the reception?" Stella mused, her mood stabilizing for the moment. Mirta peeked up from the couch she'd sprawled out on.

"Those three are the meanest witches in school!" the tiny redhead blinked in astonishment, wondering why her friend would even consider this course of action.

"Yes, but they're also wicked fun at parties, especially when they're intent on ruining them with drunken revelry and turning fountains into ice sculptures." Stella commented. She'd seen firsthand—both this year and last—how efficient the triad of sister-witches were at party-crashing. "I bet I can get them on the guest list…I do hope they bring good liquor…"

"You think they'll go to Solaria just to crash a wedding reception?" Mirta raised an eyebrow. Solaria was a good day's shuttle ride from magix.

"For a royal wedding reception? Absolutely! They'll be a shoe-in to make the evening news!" Stella smiled giddily.

"If Icy gets to freeze the fountains, can I set the flowers on fire?" Bloom asked as innocently as she could manage.

"Sweetie, you just read my mind." Stella grinned evilly. "Now, we only have a couple weeks to prepare…how should we go about crashing the wedding itself?"

"Well, we must make our grand entrance when the minister makes his 'speak now or forever hold your peace' speech…they do have ministers that do that in the magical dimension, right?" Roxy asked, not knowing how marriage ceremonies worked on other planets.

"Yes, and good thinking." Lucy answered. "But it needs to be flashy."

"No, Bloom. No arson charges until after the wedding." Stella glared playfully at her redheaded friend. "Although if Mirta could manage to make Cassandra think she's ugly…"

"Should we dress flashy, too?" Mirta asked, sounding less pained than she had earlier in the conversation.

"Absolutely. The louder and gaudier, the better!" Roxy said. "We have to stand out over the terrible dresses the bridesmaids will be forced to wear!"

"Roxy, you don't even _own_ a skirt that wasn't a part of your work uniform." Bloom said. "And I didn't exactly pack anything that screams 'wedding crasher'."

"A problem easily remedied." Stella waved.

"Yeah, she's got enough loud gaudy stuff to outfit a small village." Lucy quipped.

"Does it have to be gaudy?" Mirta winced. "Can't we just wear black?"

"It's a wedding, not a graveside memorial." Roxy frowned.

"Unless you're counting Countess Cassandra's reputation; we're going to cave its skull in and give it a Viking funeral." Bloom pointed out. *****

"That just might work…" Stella mused. "We enter dressed in black, trained magical animals perched on our shoulders…"

"Do you realize how much mess trained animals make?" the pink-haired Earthling raised an eyebrow. "They'll ruin our nice black dresses."

"She's got a point there." Mirta acknowledged.

"I'm the Witch of Animals; I think I understand what goes on in their heads." The other girl smiled, scratching her beloved pet dog Artu behind the ears. "Although, I hate the thought of leaving Kiko and Artu here alone… the other girls have been wanting to use them for experiments."

"We'll dress them up and bring them with us, then." Lucy shrugged. "Somehow I don't think Cassandra's a dog person."

"So, black dresses for us and suits and top hats for the animals." Stella checked items off on her fingers. "That's one problem settled. Now, time to go to the Magix Mall!"

"Why?" Mirta blinked.

"Because you and I are the only ones who actually own black dresses." The Solarian princess informed the smallest of their circle. "Granted, I have three, but one of those has pink polka-dots all over it and that's entirely too cheerful for such a sad occasion. We need to all get coordinating outfits."

"Stella…Even our jobs at the White Horse, Roxy and I can't afford to get new dresses." The Fire witch frowned. The two had started working at the local eatery shortly after coming to Cloud Tower, and while the pay was decent, they hadn't been there long enough to have anything saved for a new wardrobe.

"You misunderstand me, sweetie." The golden-eyed witch smiled sweetly. "This trip is being brought to us courtesy of the Solarian royal treasury."

"Spending your father's money to ruin his wedding." The green-haired girl shook her head. "I take back what I've been saying behind your back; you're definitely a witch instead of a pixie."

"Why, Lucy, that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me." Stella giggled. "Now, grab your bags, ladies! We need to find those perfect outfits that say 'I'm a witch and I don't give a damn' with just a hint of 'I'm sexy and I know it' thrown in for flavor!"

"I'm regretting ever letting her listen to Earth music right about now." Bloom groaned.

"You and the rest of the school." Lucy commented. Stella's new obsession with pop music from Earth wouldn't have been such a big headache if she didn't run around _singing_ them on her way to and from classes. The other witches were now convinced that the Witch of the Sun and Moon was completely insane and tone-deaf. Not that Stella cared, mind you. Having been dubbed "Sunshine Rainbow" by one of her classmates in potionology, her sunny disposition and carefree attitude made her stand out from the crowd almost as much as Mirta's inability to repress her emotions (or those she felt from others). However, she took every insult as a compliment to her character and went on about her merry way, smiling and laughing as she did so.

"Yes, but it's too late for that now!" the blond teen proclaimed, grabbing her purse. "Now, let's go hit the mall and sample some more Earth food. I'm just dying to know what those enchilada thingies taste like! For such a magically backward planet, your home has awesome food and booze!" She winked at Bloom, who frowned.

"Stella, I am not getting you any more liquor. I didn't realize it was contraband at the school when I bought it the first time!" Bloom and Roxy weren't sure what to think about the drinking age policy in Magix. As long as your student ID listed you as sixteen or older, you could buy alcohol. However, the schools did not permit alcohol on their grounds, and anyone caught with it faced possible expulsion. Bloom, of course, didn't know this when she agreed to buy some Earth-made liquor for her and her suitemates, and said liquor was confiscated from their person once they returned to the school.

"How will we get onto Solaria without being noticed?" Mirta asked suddenly, attracting the attention of the other witches. "Stella's their princess, right? They're sure to recognize her and make her got to the palace as soon as we land, which ruins our plans to make a surprise entrance into the wedding ceremony."

"Oh, that's no problem at all." Stella waved a hand as the girls walked into the hallway. "Daddy has a vacation home on one of the orbiting moons. We rarely ever use it and reporters are never there. We can fly there by shuttle the night before, sleep, get ready, and then use the main teleportation platform to get us to the main palace." That platform was a high-tech piece of equipment, designed by the technological wizards in the realm of Zenith to ease travel in between planets and moons in the same realm of influence. King Radius had it installed a few years ago, along with matching platforms in the Palace, Parliament building, and treasury office. She'd heard rumors of one being placed in Cassandra's home, but she couldn't confirm or deny that one.

"How very convenient." Roxy rolled her eyes, clipping Artu's leash onto his collar. "But all planning aside, can we just go and get this over with?" Bloom chuckled, shaking her head at her best friend's comment. Roxy had never been a particularly good shopper.

"We're going, we're going!" Lucy grumbled, obviously not thrilled at the prospect of a mall crawl with Stella…or that the mall crawl required her to buy a semi-formal gown.

"Oh, will you two stop grumbling and try to enjoy this? It was partially your idea, you know!" Stella called, waiting for her roommates to join her—familiars in tow—so she could lock the door to their suite. With any luck, this trip would give them everything they needed to completely ruin what was supposed to be the third-happiest day of her father's life.

For the first time in many months, things were starting to look up for Stella.

*** The Vikings/Norse were very superstitious. To ensure that the deceased (dead person) was properly dead and couldn't come back as an evil spirit to claim the lives of family members, they (the dead) were set on fire. Sometimes this was done by setting a small boat filled with the body and items necessary for the afterlife off to sea, setting fire to the funeral ship as it left the harbor or port. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned by name in this chapter. Any resemblance between a wedding or wedding reception that you have gone to and the wedding scenes in this work of fanfiction are purely coincidental.**

**The Ripple Effect**

**4. Here for the Party**

As Stella promised, only a handful of servants were present at the vacation home when the five teenagers arrived. All four non-royals were totally shocked by the opulent furnishings in the secondary home of Solaria's Royal family. The house was several times larger than any of the homes they lived in as children. An elegant staircase wide enough to accommodate three grown ogres walking side-by-side ascended upward to the second floor and yet even its sheer size did little to make the entry parlor or its grand skylight ppear any smaller. The walls were painted a pale golden color and trimmed with white, giving the entire place a bright, sunny feel.

Stella was already growing to hate it. "Come on, girls. Our rooms are on the second floor." She stated, briskly climbing the enormous staircase as if it were no challenge at all.

"I feel like I'm dreaming." Roxy looked around. "I've been dreaming of being in a place like this since I was old enough to love fairy tales…"

"And here we are." Mirta breathed. Only a handful of servants staffed the vacation home, so for the first time since coming to CT she wasn't oppressed by the repressed emotions of hundreds of hormonal teenage witches. "This is so surreal."

"Well, it's about to be real." Stella remarked. "We only have a few precious hours until that wedding."

* * *

All of Solaria's social elite turned out for the wedding of His Royal Excellency King Radius to Countess Cassandra. Chimera—newly revealed daughter of the King—was dressed like the princess she would soon become. The glamour spell used to conceal her dark blond hair under a mask of deep blue had been removed for the occasion, and it coordinated with her gold and crimson gown perfectly.

But Her Highness Crown Princess Stella was nowhere to be found.

The traditional wedding march of Solaria played as Cassandra's brother walked her down the aisle and the invited guests rose to their feet. She chose a judiciously ruffled ivory lace gown and veil, with a train trailing five feet behind her and a small tiara keeping the veil in place. A bouquet of red, yellow, and white flowers tied with gold and white ribbon rested between her hands. She offered a small smile to Radius—donning his most regal white and gold suit and cape for the occasion. He stood a bit straighter as she came to stand beside him, lost in the moment.

But still no Princess Stella in the chapel.

However, that all changed when the priest got to the universally famous "Any objections be voiced now or forever remain silent" line.

"I would like to make an objection!" The main doors blew open as Princess Stella spoke, striding confidently down the aisle with four other girls as if they owned the place. Everyone gasped. The media reported that Stella and Radius were not on good terms, but no one expected her to wear a _black_ gown to her father's wedding! Nonetheless, she still looked every bit of the Royal she was: Hair curled and pinned to perfection, a silver jeweled diadem perched on her golden head, and a gown made of the finest flowing silk to be found anywhere. Her companions were also dressed in black silk gowns, though theirs were all different styles.

"Stella!" Radius barked, clearly shocked by such a brazen display of rebellion. "What is the meaning of this insanity?"

"I object to you marrying that cow on the grounds that she is the one who ruined both your first marriage and your relationship with me." Stella looked out at the crowd, keeping her voice devoid of any emotion save contempt. "He neglected his family for his lusts before; what is to stop him from neglecting his duties as King now?"

Frenzied whispers filled the cathedral. The people had never seen their beloved princess speak so harshly about her father before. What if her accusations proved true?

"The objection has been voiced; you may be seated so someone else may speak, if they so choose." The priest stated calmly over the chatter. The five teens prepared to sit down as Chimera's decidedly unladylike temper got the better of her.

"This is an outrage!" She squeaked, pointing at the doors. "Leave now!"

"We are invited guests of the Princess, and therefore you cannot force us to go anywhere." Roxy replied coolly as Artu—in his doggie tuxedo and miniature hat—sat at her feet. Kiko, also dressed in a little tux, leaped onto Bloom's lap.

"If we may continue," the minister glared at Chimera as Roxy and Stella discretely high-fived, "Countess Cassandra, will you take King Radius to be your lawfully wedded mate…"

"Don't see why not after such a long and unlawful affair." Lucy whispered to her sister-witches, who fought hard not to giggle.

"For richer and for poorer…"

"Nope. Just for richer! If he ever goes broke, she'll dump him." Stella whispered back as the minister continued undeterred. She had to give him props for staying so professional about all of this. She would have been either pissed off or rolling on the floor laughing by now.

"So long as you both shall live?"

"Or until she drugs him so she can rule Solaria." Bloom clarified softly as Cassandra said "I will.".

"King Radius, will you take Countess Cassandra…"

"You already left your wife and daughter, so why the hell not?" Lucy kept the hushed commentary going.

"To love, cherish, and honor…"

"What would he know about honor?" Roxy spat. Her mother may have disappeared out of the blue, but it wasn't because she stopped loving her father anymore. Morgan Klaus simply vanished without any evidence to point to what really happened that night.

"For richer and for poorer…"

"Morally or financially?" Mirta asked. "Not that it makes a difference here…"

"In sickness and in health…"

"Especially once she puts cyanide in his coffee…" Stella remarked.

"As long as you both shall live?"

"I will." Radius replied, sparing a sidelong glare at his firstborn.

"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your mate."

It should be noted that the major cathedral at which this particular wedding was held did not have lights in the worship area. Instead, a stained glass skylight streamed sunlight in from above and lit candles provided the illumination needed in the darker areas around the podium. "Now, Bloom!" Stella whispered, eager to watch the chaos unfold.

With sadistic glee, Bloom reached out with her magic and caused the candle flames to grow to twice their normal size. They also jumped from the candelabras to the flower bouquets with ease. Guests and bridal party members screamed in terror, dropping the flowers to the ground and stomping on them to put the flames out. Amidst the chaos, Kiko hopped around happily while his mistress cackled.

"Stella!" Radius shouted, expecting his daughter to rein in her associate.

"No, Daddy, this is _your_ own fault. If you would upgrade to light bulbs like all the other major realms, we all could have avoided this _tragic_ accident." The blond princess smiled a little too sweetly. "Besides, those arrangements were hideous. Now, if you will excuse us, we simply **must** see the reception hall decorations!"

* * *

"Why is everything so damn _sunny_ on this planet?" Stormy grumbled as she and her sisters climbed the great stone staircase to the reception hall, elegant gowns—something nobody had ever seen the trio wear before—billowed in the light breeze. For once not clad in maroon, the youngest of the witch triad known as the Trix donned a dark gray one-shoulder dress.

"Because it's Solaria; the Department of Weather sees to it that the planet is always sunny." Darcy grumbled, fed up with her younger sister's whining. Her dress was strapless and faded from a deep amethyst to pale lavender, hugging her curvaceous frame nicely. "But we got invited to a royal wedding reception with free alcohol, so I am not going to complain."

"Damn right, we're not complaining!" Icy affirmed as the senior students were allowed entry into the building. She wore a halter dress the color of ice crystals glistening in the light. "Let's get in there and show them how to party!"

As the doors opened, however, they realized Stella and Bloom were already working on it.

"Yay! You made it!" Stella—a nearly-empty goblet in her other hand—waved cheerfully to the older witches. "Let the party begin, bitches!"

"I think it officially began when Bloom set the flowers on fire and Kiko started running laps on the table." Roxy remarked, a mostly-full wine goblet carefully held in her right hand. She and Artu seemed more intent on watching the chaos unfold than actually causing it.

Sure enough, Bloom was happily making little fire people appear in the flames rising up from the flower arrangements and the streamers (which had since burned away and now were simply constructs made of fire).

"Yeah, it's really got them burning mad." Lucy quipped, also pleased to watch the carnage unfold.

"Then allow me to chill them out." Icy waved her left hand, causing the burning streamers to freeze over. With her right hand, she casually lifted a goblet from the tray of a fear-stricken servant.

"Roxy! We should give them an exotic petting zoo!" It was quite apparent that Bloom had already gotten into the alcohol.

"Uh, no." The pink-haired witch of animals stated, gesturing to the Trix. "I'll let them have their fun instead."

"Why don't we turn down the lights a bit?" Darcy suggested, causing the shadows around the room to become larger and darker. However, she couldn't block out the sunlight streaming in through the skylights above them. Apparently Solarians really loved their skylights.

"It's still too damn sunny." Stella grumbled, making some nearby listeners gasp. "Think you can fix that, Stormy?"

"I love raining on parties!" The poofy-haired woman whooped as dark clouds—completely foreign to the realm of Solaria—began to form and pour down rain on those still entering the party…including the bride and groom.

"Princess Stella!" Radius boomed angrily. "This has gone far enough! Stop at once before…"

"Before you what? Make me?" Stella laughed. "This great fit of rebellion is all your own doing, Radius!" Stunned silence fell on the guests as she addressed her father by his name rather than 'Daddy' or 'Father'. Was the damage to the relationship between the King and their Princess too damaged to repair?

"Guards!" Cassandra shouted. "Arrest and deport those _witches_ immediately!"

"Aw, but we just got here." Icy mock-pouted as her youngest 'sister' charged up.

"I'm not done here yet!" Stormy electrocuted an advancing guard with a lightning bolt, leaving him to twitch on the floor.

"This is going to be a repeat performance of the Specialist Incident, isn't it?" Roxy sighed, blasting a guard with a ball of energy.

"Specialist incident?" Mirta blinked as her sisters protectively circled around her.

"We'll tell you later!" Roxy shouted as Bloom set fire to the pants of three guards. Icy also took out her fair share by freezing their legs and feet to the floor.

"I hope you fish have an escape plan!" She shouted at the younger witches.

"Of course I do!" Stella shouted, channeling the moon-based half of her powers in order to transform. A gold trimmed silver one-shoulder minidress fluttered as she moved. It wrapped effortlessly around her thin frame in the same manner as the silver and gold scarf sandals wrapped around her feet. A simple silver headband kept her long blond hair from flying into her face while leaving the short bangs free. "All of you who can, power up! We're busting out of here!"

Deep red light shielded Lucy from view as she transformed. When it faded, a garnet-colored leather halter top with a black dreamcatcher detail on the top of the high neckline and black beaded fringe along the bottom clung to her chest while a matching garnet skirt with black beaded fringe draped to her knees. Black armbands reached halfway to her elbows while garnet knee-high moccasins with black laces and black fur around the tops protected her feet and legs. A single red and gold feather was woven into her wild green hair.

Fire wrapped around Bloom, leaving a navy sleeveless high-neck minidress in its wake. Navy fingerless elbow gloves covered her arms while dark tights and navy ankle boots covered her feet. A violet gem accented the dress like a piece of jewelry, while a simple golden mini-tiara rested on her head. Her already unruly red hair appeared wilder and longer.

A swarm of green butterflies swirled around Roxy, leaving a dark green ¾ sleeve shirt and a lighter green vest covering her torso and dark green pants tied with a lighter green tie clinging to her legs. Dark green boots with lighter green soles and toes climbed to her knees and wrist-length fingerless light green gloves covered her palms. A green paw-print hairclip held her long sidebangs out of her face.

Tiny ice crystals danced around icy before melding into a deep blue-green leather top, pants, cape, elbow-length fingerless gloves, and knee-high boots. A blue-white stripe running down the center of the front of the top formed the letter "I" across her stomach and trimmed the bottom of the top.

Darkness obscured Darcy from view, leaving behind a purple top, cropped pants, wrist-length full gloves, and strappy stiletto shoes. A "D" formed through a lavender-white stripe that ran down the front of the blouse and trimmed the bottom of it much like Icy's.

Swirling storm clouds solidified into a maroon v-neck tank top and miniskirt for Stormy. Lighter tights covered her legs while slouchy boots and armbands matching the rest of her wardrobe protected her forearms and feet. The pink-white trim on her top formed the letter "S".

Grabbing Mirta (who was still unable to transform), Stella shot a hole in the skylight and took to the air, the other girls following closely.

"We can't use the transport pad this time!" Mirta shouted to her fellow witches. "We need to make a portal!"

"Good thing guards don't fly!" Darcy remarked. "If we merge our powers, we should be able to open a portal to another location in this system."

"I'll give you the location, just open it!" Stella shouted. "The guards are heading for the armory and I would rather not dodge laser rifle fire!"

"We're working on it!" Icy grumbled as the girls poured their energy into a single portal spell. Even Mirta gave up what little she had to spare to get it open. "_Portalus Entradus Transportus_…"

"Solarian Royal vacation home!" Stella finished out the spell, dragging Mirta head-first through the portal.

The landing inside the grand entryway fell far short of smooth. Bloom and Stormy both crashed into walls, Darcy hit her head on the chandelier, and Roxy nose-dived onto a chaise lounge with Kiko and Artu. Barks and squeaks and groans of pain sounded through the estate as a group of servants watched in mixed confusion and apprehension.

"Uhg. My poor house." The blond princess sighed. After dropping Mirta off on the sitting room couch, she had managed to land on her feet before her magic ran out and she de-transformed. "Oh well. At least now I have a good excuse to re-decorate the place."

"Will your father even allow you to stay here?" Roxy frowned. "He seemed pretty upset."

"Yes he was, but he can't do anything about it now." Stella remarked. "I asked him to sign ownership over to me, since he never used it after he started dating Cassandra openly and I didn't want to stay in the same house as the cow and her brat offspring. He agreed, stating that this place was 'full of bad memories' for him and Cassandra hated it anyway. The papers were finalized on Thursday."

"Wait, so this whole place is yours?" Lucy gaped, having picked herself up off the grand staircase where she ungracefully landed on her posterior. "And you didn't tell us this yesterday when we got here?!"

"You never asked." Stella shrugged. "Now, since our party time was cut shorter than I anticipated at that reception, I'll have the servants bring up some of the good stuff for us to drink, and we can discuss how to remodel this place into something that screams 'First-class Witch' without looking like a torture chamber."

"Can we get rid of the skylight?" Stormy moaned.

"At the very least, we'll make it stained glass so it will be less bright and boring." The blond stated, looking toward one of the servants. "Cyrus, would you please fetch two bottles from the downstairs cellar?"

"Of course, Princess." He said, a twinge of fear creeping into his tone as he bowed and scurried off to fetch what his master requested.

Icy studied the younger witch a moment, a slow smile working its way onto her pale lips. "You know, Princess, I think this is the start of a beautiful partnership…"


End file.
